Vesper

3 nil Leipzig!

wooot 1 1 lets go lads! get 2 or 3 more

and Huge scene unfolding in the PSG v Basaksehir match, with the fourth official accused of racially abusing Demba Ba. 1 1 Andrew Gourdie @AndrewGourdie · 4s Both teams have left the field in protest.

well fuck

should be 3 nil, they just missed a sitter

2 nil RB!

Leipzig 1 manure nil!

2020-21 UEFA Champions League, Group Stage Chelsea Krasnodar http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2020/champions-league-chelsea-vs-krasnodar-s1/ https://www.totalsportek.com/arsenal-streams/

no fans the little clubs will be fucked so hard

Paul Pogba and comments timed to cause maximum disruption Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! ‘Seriously Marcos, do you know how a toaster works yet?’ Photograph: Matthew Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images Barry Glendenning @bglendenning LESS THAN UNITED On any other day, news that Paul Pogba is apparently dissatisfied with life at Manchester United, has no intention of signing a new contract with the club and would like to leave as soon as possible would be greeted by whoops of delight, high fives and offers of lifts to the airport from Ole Gunnar Solskjær, assorted teammates, numerous members of the club hierarchy and tens of thousands of season-ticket holders. However, emerging as it did on the eve of a crunch Big Cup group match in Germany from which Ole and his brave boys need to take a point or go out, Manchester United have taken an understandably dim view of Mina Raiola’s interview with Tuttosport in which Pogba’s Mr 20% said his client wants a move. “Paul at Manchester United is unhappy,” sniffed Raiola. “He would no longer able to express himself as he would like and is expected of him. He has to change teams, he has to change the air. He has a contract that will expire in a year and a half, but I believe the best solution for the parties is to sell in the next market.” Raiola’s comments were timed to cause maximum disruption, coming to light at around the time Pogba and his colleagues would have been sitting down to dinner in their team hotel before Tuesday’s match against RB Leipzig. If nothing else, they will have at least prompted some interesting dinner chat. Paul Pogba's agent says player wants to leave Manchester United in January Read more The presumption now is that Pogba will not feature, not that he was likely to anyway considering United need a result and he’s about as reliable as the imminent tsunami of spurious transfer tittle-tattle that will link him with moves to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or a return to Juventus. “Get rid,” huffed Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, upon being asked what United should do with their recalcitrant midfielder, who has pointedly not used any of his social media disgrace platforms to deny the claims. “I’ve been saying this for 12 months. Oh my god, he is the most overrated player I’ve ever seen in my life.” While United would almost certainly love to “get rid” of a player who happily trousers but rarely earns the £300,000 a week he gets from the club, finding anyone to take him off their hands for anywhere near the £89m they paid for him four years ago could prove tricky. The few clubs that can afford him may prefer to keep their powder dry for such time as the contract of a similarly expensive and disgruntled, but much better and more reliable big-name target runs out at Barcelona next summer. For now, United have more important things to worry about, but can take heart from the 5-0 gubbing they dished out to their opponents in October. Pogba played for 81 minutes of that particular game and even set up a goal, but after his boorish mouthpiece’s latest headline-grabbing antics, it will be a surprise if this unhappy camper gets to muddy his spats on the grass of the Red Bull Arena for even a single second. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE! Join Paul Doyle from 8pm for hot MBM coverage of RB Leipzig 2-2 Manchester United, while Ben Fisher will be clockwatching the rest of Tuesday’s action. QUOTE OF THE DAY “I should have played more. Honestly, I don’t understand why I have not. I have done well every time the coach has called on me. I don’t know what else I can do. I cannot be satisfied and I’m not. I’ve never accepted the idea of not playing and I’m not going to now. It’s a very delicate situation and I don’t like it” – Miralem Pjanic is the latest happy punter at Camp Koe. Oh Ronald! RECOMMENDED LOOKING David Squires on … the booing of footballers taking a knee. It’s particularly good. It really is. Illustration: David Squires/The Guardian FIVER LETTERS “Arsenal supporters, it has been two years of further regression. Maybe the club’s problem wasn’t Arsène Wenger?” – JJ Zucal. “John Burridge is not the only petrolhead who has been psychologically scarred by the presence of uninvited waste products in their headwear (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs). Jeremy Clarkson apparently endured a similar experience which could help explain the genesis of the beloved epithet ‘Dirty’ Leeds” – Allastair McGillivray. “So, according to Neil Warnock, Stoke like to give visiting players stinky changing rooms (yesterday’s last line), An interesting move, but it may backfire. Years ago, the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks made a point of upgrading the visitors’ facilities. Posh towels, spacious lockers, toilets that flushed – the whole package. Why? Because it helped the club to recruit players when they became free agents. Perhaps Stoke’s management believes they are an attractive enough proposition without such gimmickry” – Mike Wilner. “Ed Taylor (yesterday’s Fiver letters) has brought up a wider philosophical question that may be answered when one-goal Joelinton squares up against a Baggies defence that has shipped 23 goals in 11 matches: what happens when a stoppable force meets a moveable object?” – Matt Richman. “Re: Capone and Fabinho being Untouchables (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs). I’m sure you’ll get the hallowed number of replies on this, but it was the team of agents hunting down Scarface that were untouchable, not Capone” – Matt Atkinson (and 1,056 others). Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day prize is … Allastair McGillivray. RECOMMENDED SHOPPING Available at our print shop now, Tom Jenkins’s pictures of the past decade. There’s also this Gazza picture there too. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS In a boost for free agent $exually Repressed Morris Dancing Fiver’s hopes of making the Euros, Gareth Southgate reckons a hectic Premier League schedule will lead to knacked England players next summer. “It’s very difficult to have a successful national team and the ­strongest league,” he sighed, fresh off a series of international friendlies. There was a World Cup draw too, but we got distracted by those giant underpants in the middle. Photograph: foto-net/Kurt Schorrer/EPA Newcastle might be able to play out a drab draw with West Brom now their training ground is open again after a Covid outbreak. Leeds defender Robin Koch will face a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on the knee-knack sustained against Chelsea. Like George Benson and Whitney Houston before him, Jürgen Klopp believes the children are our future. “You still need the right kids, the right players,” he crooned, praising the youngsters who have stepped up during Liverpool’s knack-crisis. “Without them we would have been lost. Thank God it worked out.” Some Manchester City news. And in a blow for Barnsley fireworks shops, Mario Balotelli has joined Serie B side Monza. STILL WANT MORE? Our annual countdown of the top 100 female footballers in the world begins with Nos 71-100. Here. We. Go. Illustration: Guardian Design Booing those who take a knee is an act of violent disrespect, writes Barney Ronay. Jonathan Liew on the increasingly beleaguered art of crossing. Leipzig’s Dani Olmo and Juan Mata of Manchester United get their chat on together on Zoom. Liverpool’s relentlessness is ominously back, warns floating footballing brain in a jar Jonathan Wilson. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! MEANWHILE, IN THE PERSIAN GULF PRO LEAGUE …

2020-21 UEFA Champions League, Group Stage Zenit St Petersburg Borussia Dortmund http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2020/champions-league-zenit-vs-borussia-dortmund-s3/ https://www.totalsportek.com/dortmund/

Ole At The Wheel Firing Up The Troops For Tonight's Big Game

France boss Didier Deschamps insists it's 'not ideal' for Olivier Giroud to 'play three days a week' for Chelsea after his resurgence in form... less than a month after warning striker he could lose his Euro 2020 spot if he didn't get enough minutes! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9030345/France-boss-Didier-Deschamps-insists-not-ideal-Olivier-Giroud-play-three-days-week.html

LGBT role models might be common in women’s game but they’re still so important https://theathletic.com/2244089/2020/12/08/rainbow-laces-women-eriksson-harder/ Sweden’s Magda Eriksson and Denmark’s Pernille Harder It’s match day and Sheffield Wednesday are playing at Hillsborough. Logging on to my laptop to start some work, a cursory scroll through Twitter tells me that it’ll soon be Rainbow Laces week and that, unsurprisingly, people still take issue with a campaign that promotes inclusion and diversity. But, hey, it’s 2020 and I should know better. I kiss my girlfriend as I leave the house, then listen to a Christmas playlist on the drive to the stadium. Things have been a little different this year, what with no fans around and Sheffield in tier-three lockdown, so the journey takes much less time than usual. We’ve also just bought a house, so that’s something a bit different, too, as my Sunday will likely be spent decorating or on a walk with just the two of us. When I get to the ground, I send a message to my girlfriend to let her know I’ve arrived safely — something she insists on every time I drive to a game — and then head inside. It’s eerily quiet at Hillsborough, as it has been at matches for months, and as I take up my position in the press box, I notice I’m the only woman covering the game up there again this week. That’s not unusual and although a bit disappointing, it’s not a huge problem, unlike Wednesday’s inability to score goals from open play, which has me slumping my head onto my keyboard with frustration as the game ends in yet another draw. As I said, it’s not uncommon for me to be the only woman in the press box at a Championship match but it is a thing I notice and some days more than others that makes doubt creep in. And as well as identifying as a woman, I am also gay which isn’t news to a lot of people but is something that I am mindful of when I am in a footballing environment. Most people probably don’t even care but some days it’s there in the back of my mind as another thing that separates me from those sitting around me and could be cause for abuse on the rare occasions I get to go to a game as a fan. So why am I telling you this? Well, as part of Rainbow Laces week I was asked what the campaign means to LGBT women, which is not a straightforward thing to answer. It’s impossible to answer for everyone but to me, the campaign is important, particularly because it brings together two of the most important things in my life: my identity as an LGBT woman and my love of football. We rarely have grown-up conversations about football’s inclusivity issues and we normalise the lives of those who work in the sport even less frequently. And so when it comes to the time of year that rainbow-striped corner flags and captain’s armbands pop up, it’s nice to start that conversation again in the hope that someone, somewhere finds acceptance in a sporting community that might have shut them out or hurt them over the years. When prominent players including Jordan Henderson post supportive messages on social media, it makes a difference. As do the tweets from clubs’ official accounts in support of the campaign but they are, disappointingly, met with dozens of damaging and offensive replies and always bring about the debate over when a professional male player will come out in English football. When will it happen? How will it be received? How will the media react? None of it ever feels particularly helpful until a male player does become the role model that many young LGBT people need and even then, they should be allowed to come out without pressure or expectation. But some of the answers and a much more constructive way of considering how LGBT players and fans can feel more included can be found in women’s football. It’s in the high-profile out players and coaches of the Women’s Super League and the fact I wouldn’t hesitate to take my partner to watch a game in women’s football that I find the answers to what the Rainbow Laces campaign means to me. In the part of my life that involves engagement with the men’s game, Rainbow Laces can feel like we’re all chipping away at an iceberg in the hope of reaching an enlightened state of the game where who you love, your gender or any part of your identity is irrelevant to your ability to play, watch or work in football. On the other side of things in the women’s game, I think of the campaign as a chance to celebrate the progress already made by acknowledging LGBT role models. The photograph at the top of this piece of Sweden’s Magdalena Eriksson and Denmark’s Pernille Harder (clad in a Sweden shirt), who are in a relationship and both play for Chelsea, sharing a kiss after a World Cup game in 2019 is a good example of that. It sent Twitter, or one tiny corner of it anyway, into a tailspin and made the pair even more powerful role models in a moment of celebration. On and off the field, that will have had an untold impact on so many LGBT people — it would certainly have changed my world to see something like that when I was a teenager — and that’s what Rainbow Laces is all about. Eriksson and Harder have spoken about how many letters they received in the wake of the photo making it onto the internet and it’s not hard to see why such a genuine moment of affection will have made a difference to so many. Seeing successful, happy and thriving LGBT role models can mean so much to people who are not ready or not able to come out yet. Delivered through sport, that carries even more power as there is, after all, no more universal language than love or indeed love for football. A photo like the one of Eriksson and Harder and their subsequent steps to embrace their new status as football’s power couple reassures LGBT people that it’s possible to live without fear — whether they are out or not. The image and messages like Henderson’s will bring home something that either currently feels, or at one time felt, so out of reach for LGBT people around the world and that influence is worth celebrating. It’s what makes Rainbow Laces, which can at times feel like lip service from Premier League clubs and still has some way to go to ensure football really is for everyone, worthwhile. It’s a celebration, a message of acceptance and, most fervently, hope for a better future. Harder and Eriksson: ‘After the photo people wrote and said how much we’d helped’ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/aug/07/magda-eriksson-pernille-harder-kiss-womens-world-cup-common-goal We're powerful together': Harder and Eriksson on being a gay couple in football Sweden’s Magda Eriksson and Denmark’s Pernille Harder talk about their kiss in Paris that went viral, what it was like coming out and joining Common Goal It was the most normal thing in the world to Magda Eriksson when, after helping Sweden defeat Canada in the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup, she located her partner in the stands and wandered over towards Parc des Princes crowd. They shared a kiss and thought nothing of it until later on, when the amount of activity on their phones suggested something was blowing up. “We weren’t even aware anyone was taking a photo,” Eriksson says. But somebody had and the noise on social media had nothing to do with the fact that the girlfriend in question, the Denmark international Pernille Harder, was wearing the shirt of her country’s arch-rivals. The image’s power came from its sheer rarity: a gay, high-profile sporting couple showing their love in public without the slightest abashment. Harder only realised what had happened when her Twitter following suddenly swelled by 3,000; a penny began to drop that something so everyday to both women could be an inspiration to millions. “It was crazy, the picture was tweeted all over the world – Argentina, Brazil …” Harder is speaking at another familiar scene: the dining table of her apartment just outside Wolfsburg where she is preparing for a fourth season with the serial German champions. Beside her sits Eriksson, the Chelsea defender, who has spent the three weeks of her pre-season break here. Time like this is precious: once the football starts in earnest they may see each other only a couple of days a month. They cannot remember sitting down for an interview together before but their relationship, which they have never hidden since getting together as teammates with the Swedish club Linköping, has taken on a new dimension. “We’ve always just been natural, not so much thinking of being inspirations together, putting pictures up of each other or anything like that,” Harder says. “But when we saw that photo and the comments around it, then it was really something; like: ‘We’re role models.’ We had messages from a lot of young people, people of our age, but older people also.” Eriksson came to a similar realisation. “I think that’s when I felt the demand for role models in that way, because of how big it was and how many people wrote to me on Instagram saying they looked up to us and how much we’d helped them. That’s when I understood that we’re really powerful together. Before, we hadn’t really seen ourselves as that.” That power has been wielded for further good now they have signed up for Common Goal, the movement through which footballers pledge 1% of their earnings to organisations that drive social change. They are the first couple to do so and their donations will be pledged to PlayProud, a global initiative that aims to make team sports a safer and more welcoming environment for youths who identify as LGBTQ+. “We’ve played without privilege and now we are privileged,” Eriksson says. “So now we want to give back to those people who don’t have the same situations we do.” Among PlayProud’s findings is that more than 40% of LGBTQ+ youth do not believe their communities accept them. Eriksson and Harder grew up in liberal countries but they had different experiences of coming out. Ikast, the Jutland town of 15,000 where Harder was raised, felt “like there were so many traditions” and she did not feel comfortable revealing her sexuality until after she left to play in Sweden seven years ago. “If I came out in my home town I don’t think anyone would have hated me or anything, but I would have felt a bit alone about it,” Harder says. “It was a bit like being a homosexual in this small place was weird and not normal, and no one was it. When I came into this new environment in Linköping it was totally normal and maybe that helped me to find myself and really realise that I could fall in love with a girl. I think it’s important that environments are open and people can talk about it more. Then everyone can just be themselves.” Eriksson says it was “definitely easier” to come out in cosmopolitan Stockholm but she still agonised at length before telling those close to her. “I came out a lot earlier than Pernille, but when I think back to it I still had anxiety,” she says. “When I told my friends for the first time I was crying so much, and had so much pressure building up to it, even though I was probably in one of the most accepting environments in the world. So I can imagine how tough it is for people who don’t have the environment I had, because I struggled even though it was really acceptable.” The time when this kind of conversation could, on record at least, be held with a high-profile male player still looks some way off. An anonymous Twitter user named @FootballerGay, claiming to be a Championship player, stated his intention to come out last month but then reversed the decision, saying he was not strong enough. A handful of individuals, such as the former Leeds winger Robbie Rogers, have done so in the past but the numbers have never been enough to indicate a sea change. “If you look at the photo from the World Cup and the support we got, imagine what a men’s player would have, it would be massive,” Eriksson says. “But it feels like we have to break the norm before that happens, unfortunately. The men’s game has taken a different turn and it’s very difficult for players to come out. Hopefully when youngsters today grow up, the norm will change.” Harder thinks male footballers are still “afraid of how fans and teammates will react” but the example of just one courageous individual could change perspectives. The women’s game is setting a standard on this front and in other areas, too. More than half of the 107 players to have signed up for Common Goal so far are women and it is hardly news that their salaries are generally far lower. “I feel we know what it’s like when you’ve come from a lower point,” Eriksson says. “You want to help the younger generation and grassroots build something because of what we’ve gone through.” Yet there must come a point where the pressures of managing one’s own top-level playing career, acting as a social role model and bearing responsibility for pushing an entire sport forward appear overwhelming. “That’s been the life of a female footballer throughout history,” Eriksson says. “They’ve always had to do more than be footballers. They’ve always had to drive it and get questions that would never be asked of a male player. But hopefully those things will change in time.” She sensed a shift in the way Sweden were received after finishing third at the World Cup. They lost agonisingly to the Netherlands in their semi-final but beat Germany and, in the third-place play-off, England along the way. Upon arriving home she felt something about the sport’s consumption had fundamentally transformed. “People were like ‘It was so fun to watch you guys, so entertaining’,” she says. “I’d never heard anyone say they’d genuinely enjoyed watching us before. Previously it was a bit ‘We support you guys …’ but kind of condescending. This time they’d enjoyed it and I was like ‘Ah, this is the point I’d been wanting to reach for so long’. One where people just respect us and don’t think of us as women playing football but just watch the football game.” Harder’s place among the crowd came after Denmark’s failure to make the tournament, a situation expedited when Eriksson and Sweden defeated the Euro 2017 runners-up in qualifying. She is firmly among the world’s best players; a lethal, exhilarating striker. It was galling to miss out but certainly not an issue that would ever cloud their relationship; she followed Sweden across France, estimating she stayed in nine different hotels during the month. “I kind of got used to it,” she says of that initially unwanted, but ultimately fulfilling, perspective. “Every time I was at a stadium I was really thinking ‘Women’s football is so cool and fun to watch’. And I think a lot of people who hadn’t seen it before changed their view of it.” Without ever expecting to, Harder and Eriksson may have altered a few other perspectives too.

Ornstein: Szoboszlai clauses, Hudson-Odoi staying, Cavani case details https://theathletic.com/2241976/2020/12/07/ornstein-szoboszlai-fans-manchester-liverpool-nfl/ Few players have been more heavily linked with a move in the next transfer window than Dominik Szoboszlai and when the market opens on January 2, his future is expected to be swiftly resolved. Among the most promising, coveted and talked-about young talents in world football, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder is tipped to leave Red Bull Salzburg after two-and-a-half years with the Austrian side. Reports have asserted that Salzburg’s sister club RB Leipzig are leading the race, with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur also claimed to be in the frame. Szoboszlai is being considered by Arsenal as they look to enhance their creativity and goalscoring capabilities, but he is one of several options and it remains to be seen if they will enter the battle. His Salzburg contract, which expires in 2022, includes a €25 million release clause and although that is enticingly low, The Athletic has learned of some details which might not make it achievable for all interested parties. Contrary to suggestions that the fee can be financed by way of instalments, it is actually understood to require full payment in one go and within two weeks of the clause being triggered. There is then thought to be a 20 per cent sell-on mechanism which, unusually, applies to the entire fee of a future transfer and not just the profit. So, for example, if he arrives for €25 million and leaves for €100 million, Salzburg get 20 per cent of €100 million rather than 20 per cent of the €75 million difference. While that may not be ideal in the eyes of Szoboszlai’s admirers, most will view it as a minor inconvenience for a player of such quality, who comes relatively cheap and has high resale value. The reason it is anticipated the situation will develop rapidly is, according to sources, a stipulation that Szoboszlai must give notice by December 15 of his wish to depart Salzburg and that bids must be lodged by December 31. It is unclear if the Hungary international has expressed this desire or if offers have been received. In the unforeseen event of Szoboszlai still being at Salzburg in the summer, the same arrangement is believed to kick in again, with notice having to be given by June 30 and bids lodged by July 15. Szoboszlai joined Salzburg from Liefering in January 2018 and has scored 25 goals in 79 appearances, including four goals (as well as five assists) in 10 Bundesliga games this season. Competing in the Champions League has propelled him into the wider consciousness and on Wednesday, there will be no shortage of focus on the playmaker when Salzburg host Atletico Madrid in their final match of the group stage knowing victory will seal a place in the last 16. QPR player to thank for Liverpool signing Kelleher Liverpool have an unlikely figure to thank for the fact they can turn to talented young goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the absence of No 1 Alisson, explains James Pearce. The 22-year-old followed up his impressive Champions League bow against Ajax by keeping a clean sheet on his Premier League debut against Wolves at Anfield, with the novelty of him playing still catching someone off guard after the second “e” from his surname was left off his shirt in the first half. Cork-born Kelleher, who has jumped ahead of Adrian in the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp, was going for a trial at Manchester United back in 2015 when then Liverpool academy defender Conor Masterson, who currently plays for Queens Park Rangers, urged coaching staff to also take a look at him. The pair had played together for the Republic of Ireland at youth level. Academy scout Matt Newbury got involved and Kelleher was invited to spend some time at the Kirkby academy. Then 17, he impressed with how assured he was with the ball at his feet but the feeling was that physically he still had a lot of developing to do. The Athletic understands that what convinced Liverpool to take a punt on him was that he could be signed from Ringmahon Rangers for just £30,000. If the fee had been much higher they would considered it too big a risk. It proved to be a shrewd investment with Kelleher making rapid progress since making the leap from the academy to the first-team set-up. Liverpool considered loaning him out this season with Den Haag in Holland prepared to offer him the regular senior action he craved. However, with Kamil Grabara having already gone on loan to Aarhus in Denmark, the decision was taken to keep both Kelleher and Adrian as back-up to Alisson. Chelsea will not let Hudson-Odoi leave Chelsea will ignore any offers to loan or buy Callum Hudson-Odoi when the transfer window opens next month, my colleague Simon Johnson explains. Hudson-Odoi was left out of the Chelsea squad that beat Leeds 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The winger was also not included in the 18 for Tottenham’s visit to Stamford Bridge the previous Sunday. This means he has played just 14 league minutes over the past five weeks (he came on as a substitute at Newcastle on November 21) and started just one game in the competition since the season began. It has been reported that the winger is now considering leaving in the new year for more regular first-team football. He still has ambitions of making it back into the England squad for the European Championship next summer. However, The Athletic has been told that Chelsea do not want to let Hudson-Odoi go because not only is he still a player of huge potential, it would leave coach Frank Lampard with a lack of options to play out wide in the title race. Chelsea currently have Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, who has played on the left-hand side on a regular basis, as the other main choices to operate on the flanks. Mason Mount and Kai Havertz can also play there but that is only considered to be a last resort as the duo are better operating centrally. The club had already decided Hudson-Odoi was not going anywhere before Ziyech limped off against Leeds with a hamstring injury. The Morocco international has been undergoing tests to discover the severity of the problem but is expected to sit out the next few games at the very least. The incident has only strengthened Chelsea’s resolve to hang on to Hudson-Odoi. Bayern Munich failed in a bid to sign Hudson-Odoi on a season-long loan with an option to buy in October. It was the second time they have tried to acquire the England international, who rejected the Bundesliga club to sign a five-year contract with Chelsea in 2019. Chelsea will ignore a third approach if they make one. Lampard has named the 20-year-old in the first XI for three of their Champions League group matches and he is expected to feature once more against Krasnodar on Tuesday night. The Chelsea manager insisted last week that he wouldn’t pick Hudson-Odoi just to stave off the threat of Bayern’s interest. Players will be allowed to leave bubbles for Christmas — though clubs did look at preventing it The government’s recent announcement that families across the UK will be able to gather in three-household groups of any size over Christmas sparked conversation at a number of Premier League clubs, whose players are living in closely-monitored first-team bubbles. The Athletic understands that — barring any unlikely contractual changes — footballers will not be prevented from seeing their families during the festive period, with employers conscious that this could impinge on their basic human rights. Top-flight sides are naturally aware of the risks posed by gathering with two other households, especially given the busy festive schedule and last week’s postponement of Newcastle United’s match at Aston Villa. Any player who contracts COVID-19 has to self-isolate for 10 days, in line with government guidelines, before undergoing a recovery period, meaning positive tests could see players absent for a number of fixtures. Given those high stakes, multiple clubs have discussed the possibility of players signing new contracts that would prevent people from entering their household over Christmas. However, those exploratory conversations led to a consensus that contractual changes were unrealistic considering how quickly the COVID-19 situation is changing. It was accepted that ordering players not to gather with their families when it is legal to do so would breach their civil liberties and be unenforceable. Instead, clubs will concentrate on continuing to offer education and advice. Most clubs send emails to their squads every time there is a change in government rules and regulations around COVID-19, while the latest news updates are often reiterated in team meetings. For this year at least, there are unlikely to be any amusing photos of Premier League footballers gathered together in fancy dress at bars and restaurants. Traditional Christmas parties are off the menu, with the punishing schedule meaning they would have been difficult to organise irrespective of the COVID-19 situation. Cavani’s written evidence to try to avoid ban Edinson Cavani is at risk of a three-game ban from the FA for his use of the word “negrito” in an Instagram post, but Manchester United are attempting to offset such punishment by providing “cultural context”, explains Laurie Whitwell. One aspect to be put forward is that the term has been used by Cavani and his close circle as a specific nickname for the friend in question, with written evidence available. In the offending message the Uruguayan striker was expressing thanks, giving an indication as to his meaning. The Reuters news agency last week reported on the “surprise” in Cavani’s homeland of the FA investigation and quoted linguist Amparo Fernandez as arguing the case was an example of attempts to “globalise meanings”. Fernandez said that in parts of Latin America it is often used affectionately and United are putting forward this argument to English football’s governing body. Nevertheless, United and Cavani accept different interpretations apply in the UK and both club and player apologised for his use of the word. They will accept whatever action the FA take. The FA are yet to decide whether to charge Cavani with discriminatory or racist language but if found guilty the minimum sanction would be three games after a rule change over the summer. Y-word returns in week Premier League sign antisemitism pledge It took just three minutes for the 2,000 home supporters to mark their long-awaited return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a chant of “Yid Army!”. The return of the chant, as reported by Luke Brown, was predictable and yet its use by Tottenham supporters — who claim to have reclaimed the term from its racist usage by opposing fans — is only becoming more contentious. And in light of both the Premier League and Tottenham announcing last week that they have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, the chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council has told The Athletic that this is a significant opportunity for the club to reconsider its supporters’ use of the Y-word. “In light of the Black Lives Matter movement — which has created a benchmark by which race issues are addressed within sport — and in the light of the adoption of the IHRA definition, you cannot think of a better time for Spurs to be able to turn to their fans and say: ‘We think it is now time to stop using this word’,” said Jonathan Goldstein, who spoke with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy over the club’s decision to adopt the definition. “I am really delighted that (Tottenham) have adopted the IHRA definition. I have spoken to Daniel about it and I know that he has enthusiastically adopted it. And so I feel that now is the time to go into the next stage.” The IHRA definition was adopted by the Premier League as a way to better inform clubs and supporters about behaviour or comments that can be considered antisemitic. However, The Athletic understands Tottenham have no immediate plans to reconsider their existing stance on the word, which means chants like those heard during the north London derby yesterday could be commonplace for some time. Clubs accounts likely to be messy Premier League clubs are bracing themselves for even bigger losses than they expected for the 2019-20 season, which was affected by COVID-19. The accounting year for the majority of them ends on June 30, 13 days after the season recommenced following the pandemic lockdown in March. Auditors have already advised at least one club that broadcast revenue for the 67 matches played beyond June 30 can only be applied to the current campaign for accounting purposes. “The numbers are going to look even more horrendous,” says a club executive. “Our losses were already going to be severe, then COVID-19 came along, and now this 30th of June thing. It’s not going to be pretty.” Villa to hold on to in-demand youth players Aston Villa’s pledge to transform their academy into one of the most productive in the country means that the majority of their under-23 side will remain at the club past the next transfer window. There is already increased interest from a number of lower-league sides looking to take some of Villa’s attacking players on loan in January, with both England Under-19 forward Jaden Philogene-Bidace, 18, and England Under-18 star Louie Barry, 17, attracting interest. The pair have scored nine goals between them in eight games for Villa’s under-23 side this season but are expected to continue their development at Bodymoor Heath rather than moving elsewhere at this stage. Republic of Ireland teenager Tyreik Wright, 19, may be granted a temporary move away though after the club decided against letting him leave in the last two windows. One youngster who won’t be going anywhere just yet is Carney Chukwuemeka, the midfielder who has just turned 17. Last year, CEO Christian Purslow described him as the best English midfielder of his age and Villa were able to tie him down to a professional contract despite interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham. Man City hopeful of fans back for Boxing Day Manchester City are preparing to welcome fans back to the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day, as long as the government ease COVID restrictions on December 16, explains Sam Lee. There is hope that Greater Manchester will be placed in Tier 2, which would allow 2,000 supporters back. City will test a contactless e-ticketing system ahead of the upcoming home matches against Marseille on Wednesday and West Brom a week later by supplying QR codes to match-day staff. Plans are in place to seat supporters in the lower tier, with most in the east stand and others in the south and north stands. City’s first home game following the potential easing of restrictions is against Newcastle United on Boxing Day. Manchester United are aiming to have fans back at Old Trafford for the visit of Leeds on December 20 and took the unusual step of publicising plans on Friday to make clear their preparedness. It is thought the announcement is also part of wider attempts by the Premier League to lobby the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the issue.

Werner missing chances but blistering pace is invaluable for Lampard’s side https://theathletic.com/2244122/2020/12/07/werner-chelsea-speed-premier-league/ When he inadvertently executed a brilliant last-ditch clearance of Olivier Giroud’s goal-bound flick against Leeds United on Saturday, one question that has dogged Timo Werner in recent weeks was inevitably asked again: Does he need a rest? It was reasonable to wonder. After all, Werner has appeared in 17 of Chelsea’s 18 matches this season, started 16 times and played the most minutes (1,388) of anyone in head coach Frank Lampard’s squad. And that number doesn’t even include the three starts and four total appearances and 253 minutes for Germany in the Nations League during the last two international breaks. Such a gruelling schedule would be enough to leave anyone feeling jaded, mentally if not physically. Less convenient for that particular narrative, however, were the events of the 93rd minute in that win over Leeds. Tracking back to help protect a 2-1 lead, striker Tammy Abraham poked the ball free to Reece James in the right-back position, who played a clever pass to find Mateo Kovacic in space deep in his own half. The Croatian slowly advanced towards the halfway line with no obvious passing options — until Werner set off running outside him… … approximately six seconds, 50 metres and one feeble attempt by Stuart Dallas to pull him back later, the German slowed, steadied himself and rolled the ball across the penalty area for Christian Pulisic to tap in Chelsea’s decisive third. Game over. As a sequence, it conjured instant memories of the laboured away win over Newcastle United a fortnight earlier, when Werner shook off missing two gilt-edged scoring chances to embark on a similar blistering long-distance run — this time entirely with the ball at his feet — and set up Abraham for the goal that put Chelsea 2-0 up in the 65th minute. The main takeaways from these moments are two-fold: firstly, that we might have to look beyond notions of fatigue when discussing Werner’s finishing; and secondly, that regardless of whether or not he is converting easy chances, Chelsea’s shiny new striker retains the hugely valuable ability to run really, really fast over long distances at virtually any point in a match. You can’t teach raw, blistering speed. Ally it with highly refined instincts for finding the most direct route through or around scrambling defenders towards the opposition goal, and it’s easy to see why Lampard prizes what the summer buy from RB Leipzig brings to this Chelsea team even if he isn’t taking his best scoring opportunities. “I’ve got no worries about Timo,” Lampard insisted on Monday. “He’s come into this league and made a big impact straight away. His speed, his direct nature, the things he creates for the team, the fact that he’s getting lots of chances and makes a lot of chances through his explosive nature and desire to be in the right areas — (those things) I love. I’ve got no worries about him. Timo’s going to be a huge player for this club. “He’s scored some goals already — of course, he’ll want to be scoring more — and he’s missed a couple. But he’ll keep getting there and he’ll score those goals.” The advanced numbers back up Lampard’s bullishness: Werner ranks second in the Chelsea squad for goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.76) across all competitions this season, behind only Hakim Ziyech (1.33). His non-penalty expected goals (npxG) rating per 90 minutes is 0.42, behind only Giroud (0.65) and Abraham (0.46), while he also ranks third in the squad with 0.15 expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes, behind only Ziyech (0.44) and James (0.20). Werner’s transition threat in particular, whether operating from the left flank or the right, has been a significant reason why Chelsea’s attack hasn’t suffered much despite Pulisic’s early-season injury problems — a startling fact, when you consider just how integral the American was to the functioning of their team in the final third for long stretches of last season. The imminent absence of fellow newcomer Ziyech with a hamstring injury, likely for much of Chelsea’s festive schedule, will give Lampard more of a chance to start both in the same attack. If that happens, you can expect to see more teams carved open in transition within a matter of seconds over the next few weeks, as Leeds were at the weekend. If there’s a Premier League blueprint for how they can co-exist, it’s the slick, high-speed combinations between Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane that have helped make Liverpool a juggernaut in recent seasons. Werner is similar in style to Salah when deployed on the left of Chelsea’s attack, if not quite comparable in terms of ruthlessness in front of goal just yet. Lampard is confident the 24-year-old will get there sooner rather than later, but his sheer speed and sharp movement will give opposing defences more than enough to worry about until he does.

Havertz plays more centrally

I see no reason why not

Sebastian Walukiewicz https://www.transfermarkt.com/sebastian-walukiewicz/profil/spieler/345458 Sebastian Walukiewicz: Things to Know About the Emerging Polish Defender https://www.90min.com/posts/sebastian-walukiewicz-things-to-know-about-the-emerging-polish-defender-transfer Manchester United and Chelsea are among a number of clubs across Europe keeping an eye on Polish defender Sebastian Walukiewicz, who is currently plying his club trade at Cagliari. Lazio, Inter, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid are others on the list of suitors of the Pole, who made his international debut in October. 90min revealed the interest in the 20-year-old earlier this week. Here’s a look at various things fans need to know about this emerging talent. 1. Meteoric Rise Walukiewicz was only 18 when Cagliari bought him in January 2019. He spent the remainder of that campaign in Poland, helping Pogon Szczecin to a mid-table Ekstraklasa finish, and made the switch to Italy that summer. The youngster was initially part of the first-team squad without playing more than occasionally. He spent much of the early campaign on the bench, unsurprising given his age and lack of experience – his league debut even ended in a 4-0 thrashing by Juventus. But Walukiewicz fought his way into the Cagliari XI permanently when the suspended season resumed in June. They had gone 12 Serie A games without a win prior to his first real run in the side and were without a clean sheet since November. And although the slide down the table continued, results did improve overall and the 20-year-old has kept his place in 2020/21, starting every game so far. International recognition came when he made his senior international debut for Poland this month. 2. On the Radar for Years Even though it was Cagliari who took the plunge and signed Walukiewicz in 2019, reports towards the end of 2018 suggested that a number of top clubs were already aware of him then. Arsenal were believed to have had scouts watch the defender at that time, while Liverpool and Barcelona were said to have also been keeping an eye on him. Southampton, a club with a strong record of developing young talent, were linked as well. 3. Long-Term Contract Cagliari hold the immediate power when it comes to Walukiewicz’s future. He is under contract until 2023, a deal which includes the option of being further extended by a year. Although a sale is ultimately inevitable for a club of their standing, they are not under pressure to accept a low-ball approach from potential suitors. 4. ‘Majestic in the Air’ ‘Majestic in the air’ is how Cagliari described Walukiewicz when they announced the completion of his transfer from Pogon Szczecin in January 2019. Despite the trend for clubs to play possession-based football out from defence, aerial prowess remains one of the key attributes any elite defender must have. No club with an aerially commanding centre-back should be too vulnerable to set-pieces. 5. Stature & Style of Play Standing at around 6’2, Walukiewicz is a similar height to Rio Ferdinand or Giorgio Chiellini and a couple of inches shorter than Virgil van Dijk. His aerial prowess has already been covered, but Walukiewicz is also considered to be confident with the ball at his feet, which is another major tick as top clubs search for all-round defensive talents. Being able to bring the ball out of defence to start attacks is another valued skill. His passing accuracy in Serie A this season is just shy of 90%, while he performed two dribbles in action for Poland against Italy this month and averaged close to one dribble per game in Serie A last season. Stats via WhoScored Report: Chelsea set to join battle to sign Polish international centre back https://www.chelsea-news.co/2020/12/report-chelsea-set-join-battle-sign-polish-international-centre-back/

PRAISE Bayern Munich ace Manuel Neuer labels Edouard Mendy ‘world class’ following Chelsea new boy’s electric start at Stamford Bridge https://talksport.com/football/799947/manuel-neuer-edouard-mendy-chelsea-stamford-bridge/ Rio Ferdinand agrees with Manuel Neuer about Chelsea's Edouard Mendy Edouard Mendy has been in fine form since joining Chelsea from French outfit Rennes during the summer transfer window, helping the club solve their defensive troubles https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/players/edouard-mendy-chelsea-news-neuer-19414746

why are Die Mannschaft fans always so upset? you are giving us Brits a run for the money, lolol both you are Italy can tie the Brasilians for 5 WC wins and to be honest it should be both you and Italy with five NOW, and Brasil with only 3 Italy should have won in 1994 (Baggio miss) and Germany would have won in 2002 if Ballack had not taken that FOOLISH yellow in the 71st minute versus SoKo and thus missed the final on cards (an outrageous rule that is now gone) I TRULY believe he was that big a miss. I was 9 years old and cried like a baby when Brasil won (I remember France 1998, but at 5 was not really that much aware of it all, other than my father going bonkers (he lived in France as a young man whilst going to uni, and then his first banker job) fuck Brasil, I fucking hate them (almost at a Spuds, manure, bindipper level) I almost peed my panties in joy in 2014 at that 7-1 CRUSHING by Germany of the twats I also want the Netherlands to finally win a WC (2010 gutted me, I hate Spain, and they should have beaten Germany in 1974 (Hungary should have beaten Germany in 1954 as well, if we are being honest), 1978 Argentina was too strong, a superb team and at home)

Havertz is always a slow season-starter anyway look at last season zero concerns on Kai do not care if it takes a full year or two for him to settle (would be nice if it was sooner, obviously) he is super skilled, a superb player been watching him for ages look at me with Zouma, (not the best example per se but I explain) I was patient as hell with him for a long time I saw his knee injury mentally holding him back for ages I finally snapped (extraordinarily wrong-headedly) when I saw him and Kepa and Rudiger (who I backed for ages as well) as a fucking trainwreck BUT it was not Zouma hell it was not even (sort of) Rudiger it was Kepa Thiago and Zouma are beast pairing with mendy behind them and finally, to show how shit and overarching the disaster that is Kepa was look at how settled and good AC and Rudiger were as a pair with Mendy backing them the mistake with Zouma and Mendy leading to that one goal v Leeds was a one off they both hesitated at almost the same time fatal there but not likely to happen more than handful of times ever going forward hell I saw it happen with Buffon and Chiellini, with Iker and Sergio Ramos, with Dida and Maldini shit just happens at times, and I am sure they have talked it out in terms of a future-forward situational stance

Faustino Anjorin and Henry Lawrence. woot